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WESTPORT, Conn.  Bonnie Strittmatter, president of the Westport Weston Family Y Board of Directors, and her husband Bill have pledged $1 million toward the construction of a new Y at the Mahackeno Outdoor Center, the Family Y announced Tuesday.

Former longtime Westport residents, the Strittmatters have pledged a total of $1.7 million toward the project, to date.

Bonnie and I appreciate all that the Y has given our family, said Bill Strittmatter. And we want to help ensure that other local families will be able to benefit from the same positive experiences.

With the Strittmatters $1 million gift, the Family Y has raised nearly $9 million in cash and multi-year pledges since it launched its Building What Matters capital campaign last year. In total, the Y has identified $32 million in project funding, including proceeds from the sale of its current downtown location, according to a press release.

Y officials have said they still need to raise a significant portion of at least $5 million in cash and pledges by May 11 in order to forge ahead with construction plans. If significant funding is in place by then, construction on a 55,000-square-foot main building is scheduled to begin in October.

Its not a matter of dreaming up a new Y somewhere downtown, or of somehow remaining in our current home past 2014, Bonnie Strittmatter said. After more than 15 years of painstaking work, it really does come down to a new Y for our community at Mahackeno or no Y at all. Were hopeful that other local leaders will realize that the time to support our Y is now.

The new, main facility at Mahackeno will include a lap pool and family/teaching pool, a wellness center, multi-purpose gymnasium, three group fitness studios, a child watch/kids adventure gym and five locker rooms, among other amenities.

Anyone interested in making a financial contribution to the new Y should contact Rob Reeves, Family Y CEO, at 203-226-8981, ext. 131 or
rreeves@westporty.org
.